Dr Sekou Nkrumah, last son of GhanaοΏ½s first President Dr Kwame Nkrumah has questioned why Foreign Affairs Minister Hannah Tetteh rather than President Mahama, met the visiting Lebanese President General Michel Sleiman at the Kotoka International Airport in Accra.
Speaking on Radio XYZ, Dr Sekou Nkrumah said the PresidentοΏ½s absence at the Airport to welcome his Lebanese counterpart smacks of disrespect for General Sleiman.
οΏ½You have to give him that respectοΏ½the foreign minister is not the equal of the PresidentοΏ½if the President of a country is coming in, he should be met by the PresidentοΏ½ the appropriate person is the President, unless the President is out of townοΏ½I think part of the problem with the NDC is that it looks like they donοΏ½t seem to know what to do in governmentοΏ½.
Dr Sekou Nkrumah wondered: οΏ½οΏ½When a President of a country visits, is it not the President who receives him?οΏ½
He said the absence of President Mahama at the Airport to meet General Sleiman does not make sense to him.
οΏ½I find it very difficultοΏ½It doesnοΏ½t add up to meοΏ½, he blurted.
οΏ½It means the NDC does not understand what governance is all aboutοΏ½It looks like people in leadership position do not know what their job is and it is reflecting on everythingοΏ½, he insisted.
However, a co-panelist, David Annan who represented the governing NDC on the same programme defended the PresidentοΏ½s absence at the Airport.
He said: οΏ½When President Mahama goes to the States, Obama doesnοΏ½t receive himοΏ½, adding that the fact that the Foreign Affairs Minister met the Lebanese leader instead of the President at the Airport does not mean he doesnοΏ½t respect him. οΏ½That is protocolοΏ½, he said, noting that the President does not always meet visiting Heads of state.
General Sleiman who arrived in Accra at around 11am on Saturday March 16, 2013 is in the West African country for a two-day state visit with an 86-member entourage including his wife.
He will hold bilateral talks with his Ghanaian counterpart.
The two leaders are also expected to sign a Memorandum of Understanding and also address a joint news conference.
As part of the Lebanese leaderοΏ½s visit, a business Forum will be held at the Accra International Conference Centre.
There will also be a Luncheon in SleimanοΏ½s honour.
Source: XYZ news
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